Tech giant Microsoft has terminated employees who protested the company’s involvement in supplying artificial intelligence (AI) technology to the Israeli military.
The dismissals came during Microsoft’s 50th anniversary celebrations, where engineer Ibtehal Abusaad interrupted a keynote speech by Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, to voice her concerns over the company’s role in facilitating the Israeli military’s operations in Gaza.
During her protest, Abusaad stated,
“You claim to care about using AI for good, but Microsoft is selling AI-powered weapons to the Israeli military. Fifty thousand people are dead, and Microsoft is fueling this genocide in our region.”
Microsoft accused Abusaad of disrupting the event and seeking publicity, and subsequently terminated her employment.
Another employee, Vania Aggarwal, was also dismissed five days before her scheduled leave. While Microsoft claimed that Aggarwal had already resigned, the timing of her departure raised further questions. She had also participated in protests against the company’s ties with the Israeli military.
In an official statement, Microsoft said it respects employees’ right to protest but emphasized that business disruptions are not acceptable.
This is not the first time employees in the tech sector have faced backlash for opposing corporate deals with the Israeli military. Earlier this year, Google also dismissed dozens of workers who protested similar contracts.
The incident has intensified ongoing debates around ethical responsibility in the development and deployment of AI technologies, especially in conflict zones.
